MX2014011462A

MX2014011462A - Axle shaft and assembly.

Info

Publication number: MX2014011462A
Application number: MX2014011462A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Stephen W Straub; Patrick T Maled
Original assignee: Sypris Technologies Inc
Priority date: 2013-09-26
Filing date: 2014-09-24
Publication date: 2015-08-20
Also published as: BR102014023604B1; EP2853763B1; BR102014023604A2; US20150084399A1; CN104669937A; CA2870327C; EP2853763A1; CA2870327A1; US9296258B2; CN104669937B; MX353803B

Abstract

An axle shaft has radially outwardly extending drive fingers which drivingly engage drive slots in a wheel hub cover. The hub cover is rigidly secured to a wheel hub and maintains the axial position of the axle shaft. A shock absorber may be positioned between the drive fingers and the drive slots. The axle shaft may be formed from a hollow tube or a solid shaft by cutting an end portion of the shaft and deforming a cut section radially outwardly to form a drive finger.

Description

AXLE LEVER AND ASSEMBLY FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to vehicle levers and more particularly to wheel drive axles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The levers of the shaft are used to connect a drive member and a driven member, such as the differential of a motor vehicle and a driven wheel. The levers of the shaft, particularly for automotive vehicles, are usually formed of solid metal levers with their opposite ends formed to connect to the drive and actuated members of the vehicle. For example, a flange may be forged or welded on one end of the lever for connection to the hub of a wheel, while the opposite end of the lever may be provided with a slot for connection to a differential gear. Because such levers must transmit a considerable torque and are subject to rapid starts and stops of power transmission, they must be sufficiently rigid and strong to meet under both normal and overload conditions. Normally, the levers of the shaft are formed from a rod or rod solid steel to provide the required strength and stiffness.

In an effort to reduce cost and weight, hollow shaft levers have been used in the past with a wheel drive friction flange welded to the outer end or wheel of the lever and a slot provided on the opposite end by a cut, drilled or a similar process. Unfortunately, much of the cost-benefit of using a hollow lever is lost by using a typical friction welding process to join a wheel drive flange. The wheel drive flanges have been connected with the hollow levers through slots, but these designs have been complicated and non-viable due to the structural problems in strength and stiffness and in maintaining the axial position of the wheel drive rim.

It would be desirable to provide a light weight and simple lever with a with a wheel drive flange that can be manufactured cost-effectively and which provides a stiffness and ability to maintain sufficient torque.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a lever of the shaft having a spigot or drive grooves extending radially outwardly, which are configured to be coupled in drive mode with the wheel hub. Preferably, the wheel hub includes a rigidly secured hub cover having drive grooves which are coupled in drive mode to the drive grooves. A shock absorber can be positioned between the drive grooves and the drive grooves. The hub cover can also maintain the axial position of the lever.

The lever of the shaft can be formed from a hollow tube or a solid lever by cutting one end and flexing a section cut radially outward to form a drive jet. In a preferred embodiment, four driving spigots are equally circumferentially spaced.

Various aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, when read in light of the accompanying Figures 1 to 11.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lever of the prior art shaft.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a lever of the shaft of the present invention, shown with a wheel hub, and a cube cover shown in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the cube cover of Figure 2.

Figure 3? It is a perspective view of an alternative cube cover.

Figure 3B is a perspective view of a second alternative hub cover.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the hub cover of Figure 3 taken along line 4-4.

Figure 4A is a cross-sectional side view of the hub cover of Figure 3A taken along line 4A-4A.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a hollow lever used to make the lever of the shaft of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the tip of an actuation jetty of Figure 7 before deformation to a final shape.

Figure 7 is a plan view of an actuation jetty of Figure 2 in engagement with the hub cover.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the lever of the shaft of Figure 2.

Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention utilizing a lever of the solid shaft.

Figure 9A is an exploded perspective view of a second alternative embodiment of the present invention utilizing a lever of the solid shaft.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the shaft lever and cover of the hub of Figure 9 with an optional shock absorber.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a lever of the solid shaft used to make the lever of the shaft of Figure 9 with an alternative method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to Figure 1, a lever 10 of the vehicle axle of the typical prior art is formed from a bar or rod 12 of solid steel. The lever 12 has a slot end portion 22. The slots 24 are normally formed through a cutting or rolling process. The slots are coupled in drive mode with a differential gear of a vehicle. An annular groove 23 is provided to accept a fastener for axial retention of the lever 12 within a differential gear. A wheel drive flange 14 is provided on the opposite end portion of the lever 12. The flange 14 can be Forged on the end of the lever or joined through a process such as friction welding. The flange 14 includes bolt holes 16 to facilitate the attachment of the lever to a hub of the wheel.

Figure 2 shows a wheel end assembly 30 using the present invention. The assembly 30 includes a hub 32 of the wheel. A lever 60 of the shaft extends along a longitudinal or rotational axis A through the hub 32. The hub 32 includes a wheel mounting plate 34 having threaded pin holes 36 for attaching the wheel of a vehicle. A housing 38 of the hub contains bearings and lubricant, as is well known in the art. The housing 38 of the hub has an open end 39 which is sealed by a cover 50 of the hub. The cover 50 of the hub engages in drive mode with the drive grooves 70 on the shaft lever as will be explained in detail below. The housing 38 has eight threaded holes 42 extending axially. Eight bolts 41 extend through eight bolt holes 52 in the cover 50 and are screwed into the eight threaded bolt holes 42 to secure the cover 50 to the housing 38. Of course, the number of bolts 41 may vary in accordance with the designs of the vehicle and the axle.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, cover 50 of the hub has an axially internal surface 53 which engages in sealing mode with the housing 38 of the hub near the outer periphery of the hub. The internal surface 53 defines four radially extending drive slots 54. The drive slots 54 can be forged or cut into the cover 50 of the hub. The drive slots 54 are equally spaced circumferentially around the surface 53 internal. Each drive groove 54 has a lower surface 56 for coupling with an outer surface of a drive groove 70 and two opposing and radially extending drive surfaces 58 for engagement with corresponding drive surfaces of the drive jet as will be explained down. The slots 54 extend from an internal wall 59 radially near the center of the cover 50 of the hub to the outer periphery 55.

Referring to Figures 3A and 4A, for some applications, it may be desirable to cause the drive slots 54 'to extend radially outwards a short length of the outer periphery 55' of the hub cover 50 '. Such a design may in some applications allow the hub housing 38 to be more easily sealed by the cover 50 'of the hub. Referring to Figure 3B, for easier fabrication, it can be It is desirable to remove the inner walls 59 by extending diametrically opposed or coaxial grooves to each other. In other words, the slots 54"extend completely through the inner surface of the cover 50" of the hub, creating two intersecting slots 54", each of which would engage with two driving spikes 70. A joint Seal or a 0-shaped ring can be provided between the hub cover and the hub for sealing.

Referring to Figure 5, an unhardened hollow lever or tube 60 has a longitudinal or rotational A axis. The lever 60 is preferably formed from AISI 1541 or a similar steel, but can be formed of any suitable material, such as ionconel, for example. An end portion of the tube 60 is provided with a slot (not shown) for connection to a differential gear. The slot can be formed in any conventional manner. The opposite end portion of the tube 60 has four slots 62 equally circumferentially spaced apart. The slots can be cut in the tube 60 in any conventional manner, such as with a cutting tool, a laser, etc. The grooves 62 define cutting segments 69 that will form the drive grooves 70. After cutting the tube 60, the cut segments 69 are bent radially outwardly approximately 90 degrees in a vertical position relative to axis A of the lever. The bend can be made by any suitable process, such as laminate, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The described embodiment has four cut segments 69 and drive grooves 70, but any number of groynes may be used, depending on the application of the vehicle, the torque, the speed, the shock load requirements, etc.

Referring to Figure 6, the bending process will result in each drive stud 70 having an axially radially facing and axially facing surface 72, having the curvature of the outer surface of the tube 60, and an external surface 74 that it extends radially and faces axially, having the curvature of the inner surface of the tube 60. Each drive groove 70 will have opposing driving surfaces 76 that extend radially and face generally circumferentially. The drive surfaces 76 are the surfaces of the tube where the cuts are made. The drive surfaces 76 are flat or smooth but are oriented at an oblique angle transverse to the axis A of the lever. The drive surfaces 76 of each drive jet 70 could be deformed additionally or cut to be parallel to each other, if desired, for any particular application. The hardening may or may not be required or desirable after the grooves 70 are formed in a conformation near the end. If required or desired, the hardening can be performed by any known process such as induction hardening or carburization. A final machining step may be required to give the breakwaters 70 a final shape.

Referring to Fig. 7, each drive stud 70 is positioned in a corresponding drive slot 54 of the hub cover 50. An optional shock absorber 80 is provided between each drive surface 76 of the drive spigot and the drive surface 58 of the corresponding hub cover groove. The shock absorber 80 is an elastomeric member molded or adhered to the driving surface 76 of the driving spigot. Of course, the shock absorber 80 can also be molded or adhered to the drive surface 58 of the hub cover. The shock absorber 80 may have any size or shape that is required for any particular application. For example, the shock absorber 80 may extend completely around the breakwater 70 and extend through the full length of groove 70. Similarly, the shock absorber can completely cover slot 54 of the hub cover. Of course, other types of shock absorbers, such as a spring, can be used.

When the cover 50 of the hub is assembled on the hub 32, the outer surface 74 of each drive groove 70 is in contact with the lower surface 56 of the corresponding drive groove 54, and the inner surface 72 of each drive groove 70. it is in contact with the outer surface 39 of the housing 38 of the hub. The driving grooves 70, and therefore the lever 60 of the shaft, are maintained by means of this in an axial position by the cover 50 of the hub and the housing 38 of the hub. The drive grooves 70 are not bolted directly to the hub cover or the hub housing and therefore have no bolt openings.

Figure 8 shows a lever 60 'of the alternative shaft formed from a hollow lever. The initial rolling process used to bend the drive grooves 70 'radially outwardly leaves each drive groove in a curved configuration. A secondary straightening process is used to form the tips 71 'radially outward from each spike of driving in the cross-sectional shape of the drive grooves 70 shown in Figure 7, with flat inner and outer surfaces 72 'and exterior 74' facing axially. The drive surfaces 76 'may extend at an oblique angle relative to the axis A of the lever, or they may be deformed or machined to be parallel to each other. It may not be necessary to straighten the full-action spigot 70 ', leaving a curved intermediate section 78' positioned radially inwardly of the tips 71 'of the drive spigot. Of course, the grooves of the hub cover would have to accommodate the additional axial depth of the intermediate curved portion 78 '.

Figure 9 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which a lever 100 of the shaft is formed from an un-hardened rod or rod of AISI 1541 steel or any other suitable material. An end portion of the lever 100 is provided with a slot 91 for connection to a differential gear. The slot can be formed in any conventional manner. The opposite end portion of the lever 100 is provided with four spikes 90 that extend radially and equally circumferentially spaced apart. The driving grooves 90 are formed using a forging process in which the rod or Solid bar is forged in an almost net configuration with integral drive spigots 90 at one end. A machining operation may be required to give the breakwaters 90 a desired final shape. Optionally, the lever can be hardened using any known process. A final machining step may be required after hardening to give the groynes 90 a final shape after hardening. It is preferred for this embodiment that the radially extending drive surfaces 96 be parallel to each other and perpendicular to the axis A 'of the lever.

Figure 9D shows an alternative embodiment of the cover 150 'of the hub in which the drive grooves do not extend to the radially outer periphery. This allows a better contact of the hub cover with the seal 151. Of course, an O-ring or other sealing device can be used.

The cover 150 of the hub has drive grooves 154 for coupling drive grooves 90 in drive mode. Because the drive studs 90 have been forged, the drive slots 154 are essentially joined in a single channel on the surface 153 of the hub cover, the channel has four radially extending slots so that match the configuration of the drive spigots 90. The cover 50 'of the hub has a serrated outer periphery to match the toothed shape of the hub housing and to reduce the weight and material.

Figure 10 shows an enlarged view of the lever 100 with the drive spigots 90 coupled in drive mode with the cover 150 of the hub. A shock absorber 110 in the shape of an elastomeric sleeve is positioned between the driving grooves 90 and the driving surfaces of the grooves 154 of the cover the hub. The sleeve 110 is a one-piece molded unit that is inserted into the grooves 154 prior to the insertion of the drive grooves 90. Alternatively, the sleeve 110 can be molded or adhered to the drive grooves 90 or to the slots 154 of the hub cover. Of course, alternative shock absorbers can also be used, such as springs.

Figure 11 shows an alternative method for making a lever of the shaft of the present invention. The lever 120 of the shaft is formed from an unhardened rod or rod of AISI 1541 or a similar steel. One end of the lever has four slots 122 spaced equally circumferentially. The slots can be cut in any conventional manner, such as with a cutting tool, a laser, etc. Slots 122 define four driving spigots 124. After cutting, the grooves 124 are folded radially outward to a vertical position 90 degrees from the axis A of the lever. The bend can be made by any suitable process, such as laminate, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The spigots 124 are then deformed to a desired cross-sectional shape, such as a rectangular shape or a trapezoidal shape similar to that of the drive spigot 70 of Figure 7. After the spigots 124 are formed in their final conformation, the Lever hardens through a carburation process and shutdown as is well known in the art. A final machining step may be required after hardening to give the groynes 124 a final shape.

The present invention can be particularly useful for trucks for rough road use. A conventional solid shaft for such an application has an outer diameter of approximately 4.75 cm (1.87 inches) and a length of approximately 101.6 cm (40 inches). A typical bucket has an outer diameter of approximately 8.5 inches. A hollow shaft 60 having an outer diameter of approximately 4.95 cm (1.95 inches) and an inner diameter of approximately 2.895 cm (1.14) inches) would provide comparable strength and stiffness. The axial thickness of each drive jet 70 would be approximately 1016 cm (0.40 inches), with a hub cover thickness of approximately 2.032 cm (0.8 inches). A lever of the solid shaft 100, 120 of the present invention having comparable strength and stiffness could be made having approximately 4.75 cm (1.87 inches) of outside diameter. Either with a hollow lever or a solid lever, the diameter of the hub cover would be approximately 8.5 inches (21.59 cm), with the drive grooves extending radially outward about 7.62 cm (3 inches) from the outer surface of the lever . Of course, the dimensions would change for lighter or heavier applications such as a golf cart or construction equipment. In any case, the radial length of the drive grooves is at least 10% of the diameter of the maximum outer surface of the lever from which it extends.

The principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in the preferred embodiments. However, this invention can be put into practice differently from how it was specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit and scope.

Claims

1. Axis lever comprising a longitudinal axis, a radially outer surface, and first and second axially spaced end portions, characterized in that the first end portion of the shaft lever comprises a first drive spigot extending radially outwardly from the axis. outer surface of the lever, the drive groove has a radial length and an axial thickness, the radial length is larger than the axial thickness.

2. Axis lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the lever has a thickness dimension of the cross section of the maximum radial outer surface, wherein the radial length of the drive groove is at least 10% of the thickness dimension of the cross section of the maximum radial outer surface.

3. Shaft lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive spigot is a solid member without openings.

4. Shaft lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving spigot is integral with the lever.

5. Shaft lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the first portion The end of the shaft lever is hollow.

6. Shaft lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the first end portion of the shaft lever is solid.

7. Shaft lever according to claim 1, characterized in that the first end portion of the shaft lever additionally comprises a second driving spigot extending radially outwardly from the outer surface of the lever, the second operating spigot is spaced apart circumferentially of the first drive spigot.

8. Axis lever according to claim 7, characterized in that the first end portion of the shaft lever additionally comprises a third driving spigot and a fourth driving spigot, each of the third and fourth driving spigots extending radially outwardly. from the outer surface of the lever, wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth drive grooves are equally circumferentially spaced apart from each other.

9. Shaft lever assembly comprising a shaft lever having a longitudinal axis and a hub cover that engages in drive mode with the shaft lever, the hub cover is configured for its drive connection with a hub of the wheel, characterized in that the lever comprises a radially extending driving spigot, and wherein the hub cover comprises a drive groove extending radially in engagement in drive mode with the driving jetty.

10. Assembly of lever of the shaft according to claim 9, characterized in that the cover of the hub is flat and lies in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

11. Shaft lever assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that the hub cover is annular.

12. Shaft lever assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that the drive spigot extends radially outwards.

13. Axis lever assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that the driving groove of the radially extending hub cover has an axial thickness and wherein the radially extending driving spike has an axial thickness approximately equal to the thickness of the drive groove of the radially extending hub cover.

14. Shaft lever assembly in accordance with Claim 9, characterized in that it additionally comprises a shock absorber between the driving spigot and the driving groove of the hub cover.

15. Shaft lever assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that additionally it comprises a wheel hub, the hub cover engages in drive mode with the hub of the wheel, wherein the hub cover has a bottom surface of the hub. radially extending groove, and wherein the radially extending drive groove has an outer surface extending radially in a plane generally perpendicular to the axis, and wherein the outer surface is in engagement with the lower surface of the groove. slot, whereby the drive spigot is held in an axial position relative to the cover and the hub.

16. Method for forming a lever of the shaft, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: providing a lever having a longitudinal axis and first and second end portions axially spaced, providing a first slot in the first end portion to form a first segment, and deforming the first segment radially outwards to form a first driving spigot.

17. The method for forming a lever of the shaft according to claim 16, characterized in that it additionally comprises the step of providing a second groove in the first end portion to form a second segment, and deforming the second segment radially outward to form a second groove of circumferentially spaced operation of the first drive spigot.

18. Additionally, it comprises the step of deforming the lever end radially outwardly to form a third driving spigot and deforming the lever end radially outwardly to form a lever of the shaft according to claim 17. fourth driving spigot, the fourth driving spigot is diametrically opposite to the third driving spigot, wherein each driving spigot is equally circumferentially spaced from the next adjacent driving spigot.

19. Method for forming a shaft lever according to claim 16, characterized in that the first groove extends axially.

20. Method for forming a lever of the shaft according to claim 16, characterized in that the lever is hollow.